001 (CS)
Ivan Whisky, designated "001", is one of the nine protagonists of the 2001 anime Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier. Rendered a cyborg while still a baby, he was able to escape captivity from the Black Ghost organization along with his fellow cyborgs, and is instrumental in making Cyborg 009 aware of his cybernetic nature. He gained his trademark psychic abilities as the result of several brain enhancements performed on him by his father Gamo Whisky, but due to the strain of his new found abilities, Ivan is usually seen sleeping. Appearance Because Ivan was made a cyborg at such a young age, and frozen until better technology and procedures were developed (which took at least forty years), his growth was stunted severely to the point that he remained an infant. He has light blue hair with long bangs covering his eyes, though these eyes were seen glowing on occasion whenever his powers were used. He is typically seen with a yellow pacifier in his mouth. His red cyborg uniform has four large yellow buttons, red shoulder pads, and black bands just below them; in his case, however, it was tailored in the form of a miniature baby gown, with a white bib replacing the usual scarf. When he is not being held by 003, he can be seen reclining in a baby's basket, which occasionally he makes levitate with his psychic powers. Personality Ivan's personality follows that of a baby, not being able to walk or talk and relying on his team, mostly 003, to care for him. However, Ivan's vulnerable appearance merely hides the fact that out of the nine cyborgs made, he is the most intelligent and most powerful, with his thinking processes functioning on a level exceeding the average human adult. Because of this, he is more aware of his own surroundings than his teammates think, and acts as the real leader of the cyborgs based on his maturity and wisdom. He is even aware of his own infant form; when Cyborg 007 tries to feed him, Ivan resists and reminds him that as a baby he does not like being handled so roughly. He relies on 003 because of her motherly nature (with having been separated from his birth mother), but he cares for the well being of his teammates as well and would risk his life to protect them. Ivan also has a childlike curiosity for things that fascinate him, such as 009's cyborg abilities. This curiosity got both of them off on a bad start as he had deliberately put the older cyborg in danger just to see the extent of his powers; enraged, 009 expressed a strong desire to "punch his lights out". But because of the discovery that Ivan, as 001, was actually a baby, and he had saved his life twice, first from the hands of Black Ghost and from Cyborg 0010's electric attacks, the relationship between them improved. By the end of the series, Ivan has an "ends justify the means" type of nature in thinking quickly to teleport 009 out to space to fight Skull, knowing that it would come at the cost of 009's life and that he would not be able to teleport him back down. While 003 is shown distraught at this outcome and shakes his basket in her upset, 001 remains calm. Abilities Ivan's brain gives him several psychic powers, such as telepathy, telekinesis, and extra-sensory perception. These he can use to great extent, and they are powerful enough to withstand enemy fire and overcome a single foe. However, he sometimes falls asleep indefinitely at inopportune times, because his infant body can barely handle the strain of using his abilities afterward. Ivan's telekinetic powers only work on unconscious beings or inanimate objects, never live ones because possibly the requirement being greater than his usual limits or his dislike of killing. He usually uses telepathy to talk to his teammates because of his young age and, on occasion, read minds. Because of Ivan's brain enhancements, his intelligence surpasses that of an average adult human. His knowledge and awareness allows him to analyze current events and form theories based on the information he has gathered. Due to this, he has proved vital in surveying battle situations and providing information about supernatural happenings such as the mysterious fires shortly after 009 adopted an orphaned dog. In the three-episode OVA "Conclusion Gods War", the version of Ivan seen in that timeline was able to "upgrade" his fellow cyborg teammates and give them additional powers fitting their traditional ones, using his energy to help awaken their full potential. His own abilities were enhanced as well before this, allowing him to create an astral projection of himself which could use his psychic powers at will, while his true body remained sleeping at Dr. Gilmore's place. History Ivan was born the only son of Erika and Gamo in Moscow, Russia. However, things turned unfortunate when he was found to be diagnosed with an unknown fatal illness. His father, Gamo, who was a renowned brain surgeon in his country, performed several experiments on Ivan in an attempt to save his life, against the wishes of Ivan's mother Erika. Eventually, Gamo's search for a cure drove him mad and he ultimately put Ivan into the custody of Black Ghost. This resulted in him becoming part of the first generation of the 00 Cyborg series; Jet Link, Francoise Arnoul, and Albert Heinrich would follow soon after. Jet was supposed to be assigned the number "001", but because of Ivan's potential, the first number went to him and Jet became "002" instead. Due to Black Ghost having underdeveloped technology prior to Ivan's arrival, Ivan was put into cryogenic sleep until the technologies and procedures improved. History File:Cyborg_001-Model_Sheet.png|001's Model Sheet File:Cyborg_001-Model_Sheet2.png|001 (Ivan Whisky/Asimov) in his regular clothes Notes * The 2001 "Cyborg Soldier" incarnation of 001 was the second version to have his backstory detailed, although it was toned down from the the original manga where Erika was murdered by Gamo for protesting against Ivan's treatment. * Some materials for the series also render his surname as "Wisky", with both spellings being accepted. Category:Cyborg Soldier Characters Category:Cyborgs Category:Male characters Category:Psychics